Appeal Court Upholds 20-Year Sentence for Wild Arman — New Details Revealed in Judge’s Clarification

On November 26, the appeal in the case of Arman Dikiy Dzhumageldiev concluded in Almaty. The court upheld the original sentences for all defendants, and after the ruling, the judge provided additional clarification — offering rare insight into a case that has been largely closed to the public.

Orda.kz explains what the court says led to Dzhumageldiev's 20-year prison term.

The first-instance verdict for Wild Arman, ex-KNB officer Ruslan Iskakov, ex-deputy Kairat Kudaibergen, and over 40 others was issued on January 27, 2025. They were charged with organizing mass unrest and kidnapping during the January Events.

Due to the trial being held behind closed doors, details of the charges were scarce. The court’s January press release mentioned that Iskakov allegedly helped Arman’s group eliminate rivals, and that Wild Arman’s men stopped cars and detained civilians during the January unrest — but the public received little more.

The appeal, which began on October 14, was also closed. Journalists were not allowed in the courtroom — only into a separate media room — and only the verdict announcement was made public.

Judge Reveals New Case Details

After the ruling was upheld, the judge presented clarifications, including investigative findings about Dzhumageldiev’s return to Kazakhstan.

Investigators claim he flew from Türkiye to Almaty in mid-December 2021 to prepare mass unrest.
Dzhumageldiev argued he returned legally, with permission from security services, because his daughter was born.

The court also referred to his appearance at Republic Square on January 5, where he reportedly spoke about erecting a yurt and forming a headquarters.

While Arman said he aimed to prevent escalation, the prosecution concluded otherwise:

They attempted to lead mass unrest in Almaty for their own benefit, which was also confirmed by relevant philological examinations. On January 5, 2022, Dzhumageldiev's gang and his supporters twice took to Republic Square in Almaty. Their goal was to unite the participants in the mass unrest and create an unconstitutional body in the form of a people's council to put forward demands to the current government.

The clarification also addressed the detentions carried out by the group.

Arman’s supporters insisted they were catching looters — but the court countered:

The convicted had no right to detain citizens, since, according to Article 130 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, non-procedural detention may only be carried out against individuals who have committed a crime. The convicts detained all individuals moving near their location. Moreover, none of those detained had committed a crime

One victim, the judge noted, was taken from a bus stop while simply heading to work.

In total, 34 people were seized, with 24 taken to warehouses.

They were later handed to security forces — but the court emphasized they had already been physically assaulted:

This fact is established both by the court's verdict and by the victims' testimony. Some of the convicted individuals themselves also did not deny the use of physical violence.

Defense Will Continue to Appeal

Arman Dzhumageldiev’s legal team maintains the ruling is unlawful.

The appellate court failed to re-examine the arguments we presented, which would have led to the overturning or modification of the trial court's verdict. We will see clarifications on the violations we identified in the final ruling. However, the court failed to cite any in its clarification. Even though, in my opinion, there were numerous violations. We disagree with the appellate court's decision and the trial court's verdict and will appeal to the cassation court,
 said lawyer Oleg Chernov in a comment to Orda.kz.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin